On the left side of Rear Adm. Byrd’s monument.

A rectangular plaque with a black background that marks the disestablishment of the U. S. Naval Support Force, Antarctica on 12 March 1998. This also commemorates the many years of the Navy's presence in the Antarctic, from LT Charles Wilkes' "Exploring Expedition" of 1838-42, through the Byrd era and Operation Deep Freeze. The plaque is inscribed in English in raised lettering. Images engraved on the plaque are the Operation Deep Freeze badge, U.S. Naval Antarctic Support Unit Christchurch, the seal of the Department of the Navy, and the squadron patch for the Navy Antarctic Development Squadron SIX (VXE-6), known as the Puckered Penguins.

Source of information and photo: www.southpolestation.com

The United States Navy's role in exploring and understanding Antarctica is without parallel. Its United States Exploring Expedition proved in 1839-1840 that Antarctica is a continent. The First and Second Byrd Antarctic Expeditions, 1928-1930 and 1933-1935, greatly increased official and popular U.S. interest in the region. Operation Highjump, 1946-1947, remains the largest Antarctic exploring expedition. Operation Windmill, 1947-1948, provided mapping control for large areas.

The Naval Support Force, Antarctica, was established on 1 February 1955. Operation Deep Freeze 1-IV, 1955-1959, supported U.S. antarctic participation in the International Geophysical Year and initiated permanent human occupation of the geographic South Pole and of the highest-latitude harbor in the Southern Hemisphere.

From 1960 to 1998 the United States Navy's Operation Deep Freeze provided support throughout the Antarctic to uncounted hundreds of U.S. and societal importance.

On the occasion of the disestablishment of the Naval Support Force, Antarctica, 12 March 1998, the National Science Foundation, manager, United States Antarctic Program, dedicates this plaque to the men and women of the United States Navy who served their Nation in Antarctica with courage, sacrifice, and devotion.